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Washington, D.C. [US], May 20, 2025 (ANI): U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Russia and Ukraine will “immediately” begin negotiations toward a ceasefire and potential end to the ongoing war, following a two-hour call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Sharing the update on Truth Social, Trump described the “tone and spirit” of the conversation as “excellent” and confirmed that both nations are now poised for direct talks.
“Just completed my two-hour call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. I believe it went very well. Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War,” Trump posted. “The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know the details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of.”
The U.S. President also revealed that Russia expressed interest in pursuing large-scale trade with the United States once the conflict ends, describing the potential economic growth as “UNLIMITED.” He noted that Ukraine, too, stands to benefit significantly from trade as part of its post-war reconstruction.
“Russia wants to do large-scale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is over, and I agree. There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth. Likewise, Ukraine can be a great beneficiary on trade, in the process of rebuilding its country,” Trump added.
Following the call with Putin, President Trump informed key international leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
He also revealed that the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, representing the Vatican, has offered to host the upcoming negotiations. This offer follows the Vatican’s recent expression of interest in facilitating peace talks after the breakdown of earlier ceasefire discussions in Istanbul, despite an agreement on prisoner exchanges.
“The Vatican, as represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations. Let the process begin!” Trump wrote.
Later the same day, during a signing event at the White House, Trump elaborated on the progress made, stating, “We just spent two and a half hours talking to Vladimir Putin, and I think some progress has been made. It is a terrible situation—5,000 young people every single week are being killed.”
He emphasized the tragedy of the ongoing conflict and expressed hope that diplomacy can soon bring it to an end. “We are trying to get that whole thing wrapped up… What a shame it ever started in the first place,” he said.
Trump also signed into law the Take It Down Act, a landmark bill aimed at combating revenge porn and online exploitation. First Lady Melania Trump, a longtime advocate of online safety through her Be Best initiative, addressed the event.
“This legislation is a powerful step forward in our efforts to ensure that every American, especially young people, can feel better protected from their image or identity being abused through non-consensual, intimate imagery,” she said.
President Trump added, “With the rise of AI image generation, countless women have been harassed with deep fakes and other explicit images distributed against their will… We’re making it totally illegal.”
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed the positive tone of the discussion and emphasized the need to “determine the most effective ways to move toward peace.” He expressed support for direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and acknowledged the potential for a memorandum outlining the principles and terms of a peace treaty.
“The conversation with President Donald Trump indeed took place and lasted more than two hours. It was very informative, frank, and, overall, very useful,” Putin stated. He added that both leaders agreed on drafting a memorandum with Ukraine, detailing the principles for a possible ceasefire and peace agreement.
Putin thanked President Trump for backing the resumption of peace talks, which he claimed were unilaterally halted by Ukraine in 2022. “Russia is ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum defining the principles of settlement, possible terms of a peace agreement, and a ceasefire, if appropriate agreements are reached,” he said.
In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted with cautious optimism. After his call with Trump and other European leaders, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is prepared for a full ceasefire without preconditions but remains skeptical of Russia’s intentions.
“I’m not sure that Russia is ready, and we don’t trust them,” Zelenskyy stated. “We want a ceasefire first, to show that they’re really ready to stop the war.”
He acknowledged Trump’s efforts and welcomed the proposal for unconditional peace talks. “I was very happy when President Trump proposed a full ceasefire without any conditions or preconditions. We’ve been ready for this. So these are our principles: ceasefire, and then other steps, including prisoner exchange,” Zelenskyy added.
As the prospect of peace negotiations gathers momentum, all eyes now turn to the Vatican and the next steps toward ending a war that has claimed countless lives and destabilized a region for over three years.
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